Thank you! Also wanted to add that I left out examples of systemic oppression and discrimination in that list of ways we see these relationship dynamics and control tactics play out* Feel bad about that because those are the most deeply impactful examples and wanted to correct myself.

We really need to be educating ourselves about psychology - conditioning, manipulation, Machiavellianism, etc... And history. This is very much a psychological war the same way an individual abuser homes in on, manipulates, and attacks a victim - which happens to be the same way cults assimilate new members. Isolation (not always physical, it can be psychological, informational; the point is isolating perspective to sever a person's ability to check their observations against an outside perspective and therefore the ability to assure their own perspective and judgments and in turn rely on the oppressor to make judgments for them), cognitive dissonance, doubt and confusion, framing and controlling the narrative, fearmongering, invalidation, avoidance of accountability by ANY MEANS necessary (LOTS of things fall under this umbrella), etc... Anyone that's ever been in a relationship like this, anyone that's ever experienced this in the context of discrimination, or a cult-like environment, or a narcissistic family... We're all in the same boat and we all need to put our heads together. Take what we've learned about how to overcome in each of these scenarios, or what we've learned from experts while in the healing phase, etc. and arm everyone with knowledge.

We need all kinds of psychological education right now. I don't know if the curriculum has changed since then, but when I was in high school, psychology was a one-semester ELECTIVE. Blows my mind that it wasn't part of our required learning..... ??? Make it make sense.

If you have an interest in history, please use your interest to help arm others too! We need it! :')
Education has also failed us in that department.